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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Herald, 1909-05-28, Page 7CHAPTER XIII. 1f there was a finishing school in the realm where there were more young ladies of high birth and great wealth, or where the prices were higher, than at the Misses Warner's, Mrs. Hudstone had been unable to find it. It was there that she deposited Erna, after having exchanged references with the highly artistocratic ladies who un- dertook the task of finally forming the manners of the pupils intrusted to their care. Erna submitted to being placed there, because it had been made plain to her by Mrs. Hudstone that she would be a minor for more; than six months yet, and that during that time she had no choice but to obey. Erna merely scorned her Aunt Au- gusta, but toward the earl, or her -wick- , guardian, as she always styled him ' s in her conversation on that topic with Mrs. Hudstone, she entertained the bit- terest feelings. "He's a horrid, flinty -hearted wretch," she declared to herself. "He did not care a bit whether 1 was nice or ugly, and all my sympathy for him was wast- ed. I just wish I knew how to make his heart ache! Wouldn't I do it, though? To think of him calmly going with mo to the house, and then sitting down and telling Aunt Augusta every horrid thing he had heard about me. 1 hate him!" Her first disposition was to bo cold and distant with the other scholars; but that was contrary to her nature, and was abandoned the instant she dis- covered that there was a tendency to make a favorite of her. In fact, her beauty and obvious self-reliance at- tracted the other young ladies at once; and the real strength and unerlying sweetness of her nature held them. Not ail of them, of course. That would have been contrary to the es- tablished custom of young ladies' schools from time immemorial. There was al- ready in the school a beauty who had queened it without a rival long enough —too long, some of the young ladies be- lieved. These hailed Erna's appearance with joy. Two factions were developed before the first weer: was over. Lady Gertrude Moreham, a blonde, statuesque beauty, reigned over one, and brunette Erna over the other. Perhaps the rivalry be- tween the leaders was a good thing for Erna in a material way, if not in a moral one; for if she revealed sources of sarcasm as biting wit, which was not in the way of moral improvement, she also astonished herself as well as others in the attainment of uuloolced-for ac- complishments. Because Lady Gertrude sang a solo one day amid unbounded enthusiasm, Erna, with the. sublime confidence of ignorance, demanded'of the Misses War- ner that they permit her to take pri- vate lessons of the little Italian profes- sor. Everything in the nature of an -extra" gave a new joy to the existence of the maiden ladies, and they acceded readily enough. "You haf take zum lessons before, perhaps?" inquired the professor doubt- luliy. w AINS During Change of Life, says Mrs. Chas. Barclay Graniteville, Vt. "I was passing through the Change of Life and suffered from nervousness andother annoying symptoms, and I can truly say that LydiaE.Pinkham's Vegetable Com- pound has proved worth mountains of gold to me, asit restored my health and strength. I never forget to tell my friends what LydiaE.Pinkham's Vegetable Compound has done for me during this trying period. Complete restoration to health means so much to me that for the sake of other suffer- ing women I am willing to make my trouble public so you may publish this letter." —MM. Cuss, 1MncL!r, E.F.D.,Graniteyille, Vt. No other medicine for woman's ills has received such wide -spread and un- qualified endorsement. No other med- icine we know of has such a record of cures of female ills as has Lydia E. Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. For more than 30 years it has been curing female complaints such as inflammation ulceration, local weak- nesses, fibroid tumors, irregularities, periodic pains, backache, . indigestion and nervous prostration, and it is unequalled for carrying women safely through the period of change of life. It costs but little to try Lydia A. Pitikham's Vegetable Compound, and, as lifrs.i3arolaysays,it is "worth moun- tains of gold' to suffering women. He always doubted the beauties who acted as if everything were easy. "Never," replied Erna, smiling down at him in a bewitching way, "and I am so happy that you are the first to take my voice in hand." Lady Gertrude, with her statuesque, queenly manners, could neber have warmed the lonely little man's heart as Erna did in oue moment. "Ah, well!" he said, more hopefully, "we shall see. Try ze scale first, so I shall see." Erna had music in her soul and had sung many and many a time by the • lonely share near Aubrey, for her own contentment. But .she had as little no- tion of having a voice as of having a special gift for astronomy. She had sung because her heart was full of th joy of youth and perfect health, but had never before considered singing in the light of a desirable accomplishment. She ran over the scale with easy con- fidence, going higher and higher, until the -little professor, almost with tears in his eyes, cried out • "Stop, stop! it is enough! If you will try, you shall startle ze world!" "Have I a good voice??" demanded Erna more delighted than surprised, and the measure of her delight being contained in the triumph she would have over Lady Gertrude. "Nature has done much for you, sig- ncrina," said the little professor, bow- ing with charming grace. "You haf but to work and study hard." "You dear little man!" cried Erna en- thusiastically, and without noticing his dismay at the peculiar compliment. "Don't tell anybody, and I will work bard. I can study, if I wish to." She did study and .the time came when she had her triumph over Lady Ger- trude, but it was not in the way anti- cipated by her. As for other accomplish- ments, some she mastered by bard work and many more she mastered as if she had but to try them to succeed. This was notably the case with all that per- tained to the elocutionary art. She would recite simple Iittle things that no one had dreamed to find beauty in, and with them would draw tears fiom the eyes of her listeners. The tit- tle professor understood if nobody ese did. She was learning the power of the human voice to play on the strings of the heart. and nature had gifted her with the voice to use in that way. And this gift stood her in good stead when the chance come to her to play in charades or private theatricals. They it)I said she was a born actress; and it did seem so, certainly. What with her 'tune- fu' voice, her plastic grace, and her easy confidence, she would have been a suc- cess anyhow, but in addition she had the genuine mimic talent. School rivalries are very small affairs but they cause emulation, and in Erna's case, at ]east, had the effect of spurring her on to the acquisition of a certain polish that she scorned, and would not otherwise have taken the least trouble to acquire. It was so natural for her to lead and coi.trol that she would have taken any trouble rather than not do it; and, in consequence, her accomplishments strew apace. It was characteristic of her, how- ever, to say nothing of what she could o" wished she could do. She never, for example, spoke of rid- ing, even when Lady Gertrude one day was telling of some feat she bad ac- complished on her hunter. But she de- veloped such a store of accomplishments, one by one. that her own partisans carne to believe that there was nothing she could not do; while the partisans of Lady Gertrude were never sure that there was anything she could not do. All these things inane the school life very exciting and pleasant, but they did not drive the thought of her grim young benefactor out of her mind, or make her less desirous of making him some day feel the weight of her anger. She was quite convinced that she hated him eo much that there could be no lasting hap- piness for her until she had punished him for his conduct toward her. She never alluded to him in any of her talks, even with her most devoted. fol- lower, Lady Violet, the only daughter of the Duke of Roseboro. It was enough of humiliation to her to be forced to ac- cept his bounty without letting any one else know of it. And, strangely as it seemed to her, she never heard his name mentioned by any of the young ladies at the school. It seemed as if some of them :must have hear,' hien spoken of at the bines when they went home; but if they did they did not allude to him in any conver- sation in her presence until one inenor- able day, when she happened to over- hear Lady Gertrude holding forth on that topic, in spell a tone of mystery, and intense but subdued excite- ment, as would have claimed her atten- tion for any other object. "Girls!" Lady Gertrude cried, looking around to be sure that none of the teachers overheard her. Her manner was so full of importance and mystery as to draw the young•ladies about her at once, "What do you think?" she went on. `The Earl of Aubrey is corning back into society." - "You cannot mean it!" cried two or three of the better informed listeners, in a tone of eagerness and horror. "Yes. I heard. papa and mamma talk- ing of it when 1 was at home yesterday. Ile has numerous guests at Aubrey Gas• tie,. and gives the most magnificent ne- tertainments.'? OEC', ; CU ZD a IN24HOUR$ You can palnlessly remove any corn, either hard, soft or bleeding, by app1ytng Putnam's Corr: Extractor. It never emus, leaves no sear, contains no acids; is harmlessbeeauet composed only of healing gums and bairns, Fifty years in use, Cure guaranteed. Sold by ail druggists. 260, bottles. Refuse substituted, , PUTNAM'S PAiNLES CORN EXTRACTOR "Why," cried one of the, knowing ones, "I heard that he would not receive any- one at the Castle. T don't see how he dares to do it.' Half a dozen eager voices demanded !, to know why he should not are, "Do you mean to say you have never heard?" exclaimed Lady .Gertrude. "Why, it was the most terrible thing that ever happened,' • "Ole, do tell us!" Lady Gertrude glanced cautiously around, tossed her head a little tri- umphantly as she noticed Erna's look of attention, and said: "You knew he had been obliged to leave England for something perfectly awful, didn't you?" "No. Whet was it?" was •the hushed demand, • "Well, I don't exactly know what it was, but something nobody talks about, it was so dreadful! But what happened while he was abroad was terrible enough for anybody." "Do tell us!" cried a chorus of impar tient voices. "Well, you must know, in the first place, that lie is called the •lrandsornest man in England, and. I'must say I think he is," and Lady Gertrude glanced tri- umphantly at Erna; for sto •have seen Lord Aubrey, and to be able to say of such a wicked man that he was hand- some, was a genuine triumph. Erna's faction looked at their leader to see the effect upon her;•but as she was learning society's difficult lesson of not betraying her feelings, they dis- covered nothing, though her lofty calm- ness gave them courage. "You have seen him, then?" demanded several of the young ladies at once. "I saw hien at a lawn party at the Marquis of Beckington's, yesterday. You know I went home purposely to attend it," she added, with studied carelessnses. It was something to have appeared out even at a day party. "Oh, lie is so handsome—like a Greek god, some one said, and nothing else describes him so well. You would not think him so wicked to look at him, except that he has eyes that see right through you. He's a great catch, though, and I shall lead hint a dance, when 1 come out, you may be sure," and the proud young beauty flushed with anticipated success. Erna's lip curled at the boast, but she said nothing. What was there to say, indeed? "But," exclaimed someof the listeners, eager for more exciting matter, "you said he was so very dreadful..Wliat did he do?" . "Well, to begin with. 1 iaeiaf, i heft' En land 3e ,,G :e r r 4y_ a`�w ii I't aaaY • die �:�* '�''�'*uA'i �I�. +' l'IG :tai to 'tlie other, doing en „li y)glrt} imaginable things. Then, all 'int once, there carne news of a terrible tragedy in some remote part of the Continent. "0f course, there was a woman in it," she said, lowering her voice to a whis- per, "and there was a quarrel. The two companions of the earl, both English noblemen, were killed—one of them poi- soned, they say; and the woman and the earl disappeared from sight. and he was not heard of again until he came ]none a few months ago. No one ex- pected ever to see him again." "Did they—did they," demanded one of the girls, "think he had killed the other two? Were they rivals?" "Of course°they were rivals. Nobody knows that he killed them, but. every- body believes it. And you wouldn't doubt it, if you had once looked into his sombre face." "Nobody but a silly fool would be- lieve that the Earl of Aubrey would do anything dishonorable!" said a clear, but quivering voice. Erna, ]ler eye blazing with scorn and indignation, had joined the group, and had made this contribution to the con- versation. For a moment Lady Ger- trude was too mule surprised to make any reply; but she. was of good mettle herself, and was not one to hear suck a challenge from her rival without an- swering it. "What do you know about it?" she sarcastically demanded; for while ft was freely granted that Erua was an aristocrat, it was not supposed that slie was in a position to know enueh et first hand of the doings of the World of society. That was where it was be- lieved that Lady Gertrude had an undeni- able advantage over her, "I have met the Earl of Aubrey," ass- nrered Erna, controlling her fiery 'tem - pee with an effort, "and I have seed him do a deed of bravery that no base -hearts ed man would do. You have no more right to accuse him of murder -for it was nothing else—than I would havecf accusing your father." "My father is my father, and you shall not speak so of him," cried Lady Ger- trude, flushing with anger. "Lord Aubrey., is my.cousin, and yen shall not speak so of hire," retorted Erna Haughtily. "It is a vile slander. You only repeat a slander and you prove that • you believe it to be so by saying you will lead him a dance. As for that, I fancy you will do more dancing than he;' "Perhaps you hope to lead him a dance yourself," cried Lady Gertrude, jumping at a not unnatural conclusion. "If I believed him half as bad as you say," replied Erna, coldly haughty now, and regretting that she had taken any part in the affair, "I would neither lead nor be led." CHAPTER XIV. Hating Lard Aubrey as she did, Er'vt eculd not comprehend how she could have been silly enough to be led into saying what she had in his defence. She knew very well that men could be brave and 'wicked, too; and it was al- together evident that the earl's career was too wild and wicked for her .to pose as his champion. She wished she had not disclosed the fact that he was her kinsman; but she was very soon to learn that there was considered no discredit in relationship with him. Not that that would have mattered to her if she had believed him to be wronged; but she had intended to ignore forever the fact that he was her kinsman, For some time past it had been the practice of the various young ladies to go Home, to appear in company on some not too important occasion. Usually the favored one would invite some one of her schoolmates, and there would be a flutter over the departure and, again over the return - Erna was queen and leader, but she had not been able to avoid noticing that she was not being invited to go to any of the great places where her compan- ions lived. Now however, there came a change. She was,invited to go with Lady Violet to attend a lawn party at Rose- boro Castle. She knew why very well enough. She had been only plain Erna March before; but now she was known as a Cecil, even if a poor and obscure one. It was a great deal to be even a poor Cecil. And that, in fact, was the ease. Lady Violet, as well as some of the other young lad- ies, had pleaded at home for a visit from the beautiful Erna March, ;put all in train, until it came out that she was of kin to the Earl of Aubrey. At first, as was characteristic of her, Erna was for refusing the invitation, on the ground that if she was not good enough before she was not good en- ough now. But the desire to go was so great that it did not take her long to come to her senses, and accept as graciously as any one could have wished. Not having yet come out, it would not be becoming for the young ladies to appear in too much splendor of apparel, which eves a good thing for Erna, for, alteSheSnewardrobe Vas_.sufficient for a „iliewas• riot.:*dequate •for a -a y of society. ontever, Erna had the faculty of • making the best of what she wore; and moreover, her beauty seemed to in- crease as the weeks went by, so that when she presented herself with Lady Violet at the castle, there was nothing but wonder on the faces of her hosts, the Duke and Duchess of Roseboro. "We are delighted to see you, my dear," said the duchess. "Violet has talk- ed so much of you. And I don't won- der. I hope you will have a good time. I know how you must be longing to be away from school." If Erna had not been accustomed to Aubrey Castle, she might have felt shy and lost at Roseboro. As it was, she was simply delighted to be in the midst of all the gayety, and knew how to bear herself so that no one should guess that it was not the first time she had ever seen so much fine company. And it was a notable gathering, to which the great nobles of the county, as well as many from a distance, had come. There were so many that the natural timidity of the young girl was dispelled the more ensily. She felt that she would be less noticed than if there had been few. And yet, any one seeing her going about would never have supposed her breast had ever harbored the least doubt of herself. • As a matter of filet, the great num- bers there did not make her any the less conspicuous. All over the grounds they were asking who the 'beautiful brown -eyed creature was; and it was not long before Erna was having a foretaste of what she might expect if ever she gained an en- trance into this society which she now saw for the first time. The men, young and old, flocked about her. For the first few minutes it seem- ed to her that she would give anything to be away from there, and on the back of the wildest horse that ever drew breath; but it was not long before she was learning that there may be excite - Ment in holding one's own against the wits of admiring men. Gradually and readily she fell into that attitude of easy confidence which is the society belle's, and which was very naturally her own. And once at her ease, with her keen wit at work, she seemed to mature five years in as many minutes. "My dear," said an old lady to Violet, "who is that beautiful creature over there? Somebody tells ane she is a schoolmate of yours," "That," said Lady Violet, proudly, "is Erna March," "Erna March!" repeated the old lady. "Does sire belong to the Staffordshire Marches? or to the—" "Oh, 1 can't tell you about that," Lady violet hastened to say. "All 1 know is that she is related in some way to Lord Aubrey," "Lord Aubrey! What!" exclaimed the old lady, with a startled expression. "SV1iy, why! .'hiy dear, wl11 you touch Lord Romley on the arm, and tell hies 1 would like to speak to hien?" A QU LSTiON Of HEALTH Without Rich, Red Blood You Can- not be Healthy ---How to Obtain This Blessing. If every young woman and girl would realize the danger of allowing blood to become thin and poor, would. 'un- derstand that the majority of common diseases are caused by an apaemie (or bloodless) condition, that persist- ent pallor means that the blood is not furnishing the organs with the required. amount of nourishment, there would be awakened interest in the tonic treat- ment with Dr. Williams' Pink Pills. Thin blood means starved nerves, weak- ened. eakened. digestion, functional disorders, headaches, frequently neuralgia, sciatica, and even partial paralysis. Dr. Wil- liams' Pink Pills build up the blood, re- pair waste and prevent and cheek die- ease. They fill the system with rich, red blood, which means good health and life. Miss liarie Dionne, St. Ample, Que., says: "I am deeply grateful for what Dr. Willaims' Pink Pills have done for me. My blood had almost turned to water. I was pale, had no appetite, suffered from pains in the back and side, and had a feeling of constant de- pression. The smallest exertion would leave pie breathless, and I was re- duced in flesh until 1 weighed only OS pounds. 1 got nothing to help me un- til I began the use of Dr, Williams' Pink Pills. They began helpling me after the first couple of weeka, and in a few more weeks I was again perfect- ly well. The color returned to my cheeks, the pains left me, and I gained in weight until now I weigh 130 pounds. I feel so happy for what Dr. Williams' Pink Pills have done for me that I hope some other ailing, miser- able girl will profit by my experience and obtain new health." These Pills are solei by all medicine dealers or you can get them by mail at 50 cents a bo;: or six boxes for $2.50 from the Dr. Williams' Medicine Co., Brockville, Ont. Lady Violet. being anxious to join Er- na and share en her triumph, in order that she might the better tell about it on their return to the Misses Warner, went readily enough' to attract the at- tention of Lord Romley. , "Romley," said the old lady, " hare you noticed that young lady?" indicat- ing Erna by a glance. "The bright particular flame at which all those moths are singeing their wings over .yonder? Yes. What of her?" ' "Do you remember Aubrey writing to you about a child, a distant cousin of yours and his, whose aunt wished to put in a finishing schooI?" "Yes. You don't mean to s and the marquis finished his with a most meaning grimace "That is the child. • That. srna March, whose mother was a Ceeih" The marquis rubbed his wrinkled M1i> in perplexity. He was a dapper little:`, man, with an air of having seen all that was worth seeing of life, but who had saved out of his experience a very kind- ly feeling for the world in general. "She is extraordinarily beautiful," he said. "It would be too bad if Aubrey should— But. my dear, you know I never quite believed these stories about Aubrey." (To he continued.) TRY MURINE EYE REMEDY For Red, Weak, Weary, Watery Eyes. Granulation, Pink Eye and Eye Strain. Murine doesn't smart; soothes eye pain. Is compounded by experienced physi- cians; contains no injurious or prohibit- ed drugs. Try Murine for your eye troubles. You will like Murine. Try it in baby's eyes for scaly eyelids. Drug- gists sell Murine at 50e. lilurine Eye Remedy Co., Chicago, will send you in - 4 e Two Classes in One Car. A. novel type of trolley car has been built for the South Manchurian Rail- road. The ear is divided into first and second-class compartments by a vesti- bule and steps at the centre of the car. 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